I've tried to like this musical, but frankly it's awful. It's even worse than Thoroughly Modern Millie. The songs are forgettable, the acting is terrible, and the premise doesn't make any sense. It's no Music Man, that's for sure.
shareWorst musical? Certainly not. Any live production can be very entertaining. Totally dependent on the performances though, as it is a satire of 50's suburban life and a parody of Elvis. This movie however, is unwatchable. I'm not sure of the cause, but it seems to have been made by committee, vs the team work of the original play.
shareI wouldn't call it the worst ever. But it certainly became dated quickly. High schools still love to perform this because of all the parts for teenagers.
shareTo bregund: except for the songs that Conrad sings, I enjoyed most of this musical. And I also enjoyed Music Man as well.
shareThe TV remake is 100% better. But Dick Van Dyke and Paul Lynde cannot be beat. They are best.
shareIf you like those two, you should check out the clips on You TUbe from the original 1960 play which were shown on the Ed Sullivan show. Lynde singing "Ed Sullivan" on the Sullivan show and shaking hands with Ed at the end! Plus the full original choreography for Put on a Happy Face.
shareNo that honor goes to Xanadu ;p
shareI've loathed musicals for as long as I can remember. I never liked "old" movies in general either (I'm a child of the 70s/early 80s) but in the last 10 years or so I finally developed a bit of a taste for them, over the last decade I've been getting caught up on everything from silent movies to the golden age classics and beyond. A couple of years ago I watched The Music Man and The Sound of Music and quite enjoyed them, to my surprise. Not long ago I watched West Side Story but it wasn't easy to sit through. Over the weekend I watched Bye Bye Birdie and came very close to stopping half way through. It's a real stinker in my book. I'd suffer through half of a number and then speed through the rest of it. I can forgive older movies for being corny, but holy @#$% did this one push the limit.
share